Mullumbimby

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Happy birthday to Zach who is 11 years old! We hope you had a wonderful day and look forward to catching up with you soon. xx



After an early morning yoga session with a distractingly attractive teacher (google ‘Ananta Yoga Byron Bay’ for proof!) we made our way to the town of Mullumbimby. What a cute name. Its Aboriginal meaning is ‘small round hill’.



It was a nice surprise to find that the local Saturday market was in full swing when we arrived. We whizzed around it as we didn’t have much time before checking in to the lovely Kiva Spa. This place is a little gem: it’s a Balinese inspired day spa where you can either just use their grounds (two spa pools, an icy plunge pool, sauna with fairy lights, relaxation area and lovely garden with outdoor showers) or go the full hog and indulge in some treatments. Dean had two hours of chill-out time while I had one hour followed by a massage. We were suitably spaced out by the end of it!



After that we found a gorgeous café for lunch (middle eastern pastry with mushrooms, feta and spicy paste / roasted vegetable salad with pesto toast, yu-hum) before going for a walk around Mullumbimby. It’s such a nice place; pretty much how I imagine Byron Bay to have been a few decades ago. In fact, much of Byron Shire has a certain energy and peace about it. We later learnt that the area lies on an intersection of earth energy lines which, I suppose, explains why so many people come here to seek an alternative lifestyle.



Mullumbimby is inland a little bit so there isn’t any coast or beach, but that is made up for by the gorgeous mountains and countryside. We loved the aptly named Palm Park, a beautiful palm shaded area with a walkway, little bridge and stream. There are banana palms everywhere and someone was selling theirs in their front yard. Delicious.



The next morning we drove out to the Crystal Castle which is nestled in the hilly forest surrounding Mullumbimby. It’s a place to relax and reflect which boasts an impressive collection of crystals from all over the world. Of course there is the obligatory shop and café but overall it feels peaceful and spiritual here. There’s the rainforest walk, the bamboo walk and the lovely Buddha walk, which is made up of an array of rose quartz crystals and a big Blessing Buddha sitting in a lotus pond. I was a bit disappointed when I found that the labyrinth as it was flat without any high bushy walls. However I hadn’t appreciated the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. Whereas a maze is a puzzle to be solved, a labyrinth is designed to facilitate meditation and reflection. The same path leads to the middle and back out again, and you’re supposed to simply walk the path which is believed to activate the neurological pathways between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Apparently many churches and other sacred buildings were built on top of the sites of labyrinths.



Whilst walking the gardens, I came across a sign with the following poem, entitled “The Invitation” from “Dreams of Desire” by Canadian Oriah House. I love it! Check it out at http://www.inspirationpeak.com/poetry/theinvitation.html



Each day, the Crystal Castle puts on an event that you can attend and we were lucky enough to be able to take part in a Shamanic drumming meditation session. I immediately warmed to the facilitator, Peter Bowden, whose great grandmother was full blood Aboriginal and who clearly has a close connection with nature. The meditation itself was only a short part of the session and we also learnt about the thinking process behind Shamanism and some of Peter’s personal experiences. He runs drum making workshops and told us about the symbolism of the methods used. It’s so interesting: the four directions, four elements, seasons and all sorts of other aspects are incorporated into the drum itself. So, in making one, you’re not only creating an instrument but also going on a journey to bring together all things around us. Peter also explained that many commonly known stories have Shamanic origins. One of these is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! Apparently the dwarves represent our seven chakras and Snow White herself is the Kundalini Shakti who is awakened from her near death sleep (man’s state of ignorance) by the magic prince (Shiva). Learning that was one of those ‘what the’ moments!!!



In the afternoon we drove inland to visit the New Govardhana Hare Krishna Farm (a lady in Byron Bay had told us that they have a party each Sunday so we thought we’d check it out). On this occasion I’m going to go with the “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” philosophy. Suffice to say that it would have been ok to miss that one.



The next leg on our journey will take us over the border to Queensland (almost four months after leaving Melbourne, haha). I wonder what it will be like to leave behind the unique energy of the Byron Shire and head into the Gold Coast.



Perhaps it was quite symbolic that our last couple of days in the Byron area coincided with a significant astronomical event that many cultures have been eagerly awaiting. On 20 May 2012 – for the first time in 26,000 years – there was a full annular solar eclipse featuring the alignment of the earth with the sun, the moon, Alcyone (our galaxy’s central sun within the Pleiades constellation, which is said to represent spiritual evolution and ascension). We didn’t actually see anything physical to mark the eclipse but it’s all pretty funky nevertheless!

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